~ Exploring one of the world's great cities

Frosty hike

Yesterday, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! We decided to head out of the city to go for a hike and chose a walk along the upper Thames. After about an hour long train ride, we started out in the town of Henley-on-Thames. While we had a lot of sun, it was also very cold. A thick layer of frost covered almost everything as we began our walk.

Our 7+ mile hike followed the upper Thames River along a stretch that is dominated by rowing clubs. As we walked, rowers were practicing, while some coaches rode bicycles along the path, shouting instructions.

Rowers in Henley-on-Thames

The first third of the hike followed the river, along scenic stretches with swans and other water fowl.

After a few miles, we reached the Hambleden Lock. At this point in the river, there is a weir, like an overflow dam to control the flow of water, and a long walkway over the river to connect to a trail to the town of Hambleden, about a mile away from the river.

Hambleden is a cute little village where a number of films have been shot, including 101 Dalmatians and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We stopped there to eat our lunch and have a cup of tea.

Village of Hambleden

From Hambleden, we turned back toward the river, then continued on our circular path through the countryside. We saw several red kites, birds of prey which were near extinction not too long ago. Our hike ended back in Henley around sunset to catch the train back to London. A few more photos: